Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried oppose testimony from Ukrainian FTX user

Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried are attempting to block the remote testimony by a Ukrainian FTX user in the trial of the founder bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange.

In the lawyers’ view, the US Department of Justice’s request for remote participation in the proceedings for the platform’s client should be denied.

“The proposed testimony, which appears to be unique to this witness, will presumably relate to the misfortunes and the specific circumstances created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the letter to the judge says.

Bankman-Fried’s representatives stressed that the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives him the right to an in-person examination of the witness against him.

The US Department of Justice asked the court to permit the Ukrainian user to testify remotely, arguing that he “has unique circumstances that make international travel more than problematic.”

According to prosecutors, the witness is a young man who “lost a substantial portion of his life savings, entrusted to FTX, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.”

“Testimony by at least some of FTX’s clients with varying locations, backgrounds and motives for choosing and using the exchange is relevant to establishing the broad audience that the platform—and by extension, the defendant’s advertising campaigns and public statements—had in the cryptocurrency community,” prosecutors say.

In a separate letter, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers asked for clarification on the possibility of presenting “previous good deeds” by the defendant, such as charitable donations. They would also like to offer evidence of his involvement in returning FTX assets.

The trial of the exchange’s founder is set to begin on October 3 with jury selection.

On the eve of the proceedings, ForkLog collected the latest news from the defense and the prosecution.